This fascinating assortment of 1920s “life-coaching” posters, which was designed to promote good workplace behavior, has been discovered.
They were produced by the now-defunct print company Parker-Holladay who created the well-dressed character Bill Jones to dispense pearls of wisdom and have emerged for sale for £3,000 with Ewbank’s Auctions, of Woking, Surrey.
Posters advertising productivity at work appeared in British factories and offices. The posters contained messages about control and how to avoid confrontation. They were so successful that they were used in America and Canada.


This fascinating set of 20s life-coaching posters was created to incite good workplace behaviour.

Above, one of the posters was produced by Parker-Holladay. Bill Jones is a well-dressed figure who gives out pearls and wisdom.
They were still very popular at the time, but they fell out of favor after the 1929 Wall Street Crash.
The poster depicts a fight in boxing with the caption “A winner never gives up, but a loser never wins”. Another shows a woman playing tennis. It explains how important it is to stay fit and states that health is “priceless” so it’s worth it.
A racist poster depicting an aboriginal man getting hit by his boomerang shows the message: “Mistakes cost money, covering them up costs more.”
You can see Mr Jones dressed up as a conductor, helping an older man to climb some stairs.


A poster shows a match in boxing and the caption: “A winner never quits. A quitter never wins.” Another depicts a woman who plays tennis. The posters explain the importance of staying fit by stating, “Health is precious, so it pays to maintain it” (pictured left).


Staff are warned to encourage their mates to do their part by posting ‘Encourage Your Friend to Do Their Bit’ (pictured left and right).
Greyhound racing with two greyhounds fighting one another while the other dogs race in front demonstrates how ‘disputes don’t get you anywhere’.
The collection also contains posters that promote harmony, punctuality and peace while railing against wastefulness and excuse culture.
Alastair McCrea, Ewbank partner, is a specialist in the subject. He said that colour, action and strong graphics combine to make large posters extremely popular.
This set of 22 posters belongs to a collector and is available for sale starting January 21st.


The posters, which are pictured to the left and right respectively, encourage workers not to turn off their lights before they leave. A second poster, pictured right suggests that ‘added responsibility is great opportunity’.


A poster states that “When you feel it is risky, there are other ways.” While another poster, shown right, says: “False rumours like snowballs grow force as they move, so don’t be fooled by everything you hear.”

Ewbank’s partner and specialist Alastair McCrea said: ‘Colour, action, strong graphic quality and fabulous retro appeal from the clothing and haircuts of those depicted come together to make these sizeable posters (pictured) very popular.’